
Rubio says South African ambassador is ‘no longer welcome’ in US
CNN
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday said that South Africa’s ambassador to the United States “is no longer welcome in our great country.”
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday said that South Africa’s ambassador to the United States “is no longer welcome in our great country.” “Ebrahim Rasool is a race-baiting politician who hates America and hates” President Donald Trump, Rubio alleged in a post on X. “We have nothing to discuss with him and so he is considered PERSONA NON GRATA,” Rubio wrote. Declaring someone persona non grata (PNG) is a severe diplomatic rebuke and usually forces them to leave the host country. CNN has reached out to the South African embassy in Washington and the State Department for comment. Rubio’s post linked to an article from the right-wing news outlet Breitbart about Rasool’s comments to a think tank Friday about Trump’s election and presidency. The PNG declaration against Rasool is the latest chapter in the plummeting relationship between the US and South Africa. There had been tensions between the two countries under the Biden administration. However, since Trump began his second term the US has taken a series of punitive measures against South Africa whose government has been met with ire not only from Trump, but also his ally tech billionaire Elon Musk, who was born and raised in the country.

Janet Mills and her allies are counting on a gender gap to narrow Platner’s wide lead ahead of the June 9 primary to decide who will face incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins. They are betting that the unfiltered style that has brought Platner widespread attention as someone who could help Democrats reach young men will backfire with women.

As a shrinking number of Transportation Security Administration agents work to keep hourslong security lines moving despite not being paid, President Donald Trump stepped into the fray Saturday, announcing he will send Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers to airports by Monday if Congress doesn’t agree to a plan to end the partial government shutdown.











